Mt. Lebanon High Schoolis considered one of the most progressive schools in Pennsylvania, but its aging structure creates a costly, unsafe, and unhealthy experience for the school’s administration, faculty, and the two thousand students that consider it their second home.As the district readies itself for a high school renovation within the next five years, there is no board policy dedicated to green building design. While the school district has an opportunity to change this in preparation for rebuilding the high school, the glaring omission of a commitment toward green design creates a hole in district policy.While many of the classrooms lack natural light, and the school spends more than 1.2 million dollars on heating and air conditioning each year, the average green school saves 33% on energy costs. Moreover, Mt. Lebanon Council PTA Environmental Chair Rob Papke explained, “The American Lung Association has found that American school children miss more than 14 million school days a year because of asthma exacerbated by poor indoor air quality." As much of the nation becomes more environmentally friendly, this hole in building policy could leave a school that considers itself one of the most progressive years behind. What follows is a proposal to address that flaw, and to bring Mt. Lebanon forward towards a more energy efficient and environmentally conscious future.
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The front of Clackamas High School
Students study in the library of Clackamas High School, the first LEED Certified high school building, located in Oregon. Natural light, as seen through the large windows in the background, has been linked to higher stadardized test scores according to a study done by the Washington Post.
From the onset, aspects of green design that are compatible with the original construction—like large windows and low-flow toilets—would be included in the new building.Additional work, however, would be done in the years following the opening of the school as the school board would budget $50,000 each year for maintaining and improving the green school by adding features like solar panels to reduce energy costs.It may seem like a lofty goal, and some may even ask, "Is it worth the investment?"The answer is a resounding “yes” because a green high school has many benefits. ----
Melissa Etheridge's Song "I need to Wake Up"
It creates a hands-on learning site for biology and environmental science classes, and studies show that the students in green high schools are healthier.Furthermore, Pat Sullivan, the principal at the only gold LEED certified high school in the United States, said, “The overall attitude for everyone has seen a noticeable improvement.Students and teachers are gone less.”A Washington Post study by the Heschong Mahone Group indicates that the extra natural daylight of green buildings can improve standardized test scores up to 25 percent.Furthermore, Environmental Chair Papke said, “A recent Carnegie Mellon review of five separate studies found an average reduction of 38.5% in asthma in buildings with improved air quality.”
Because green design could be great for the environment, the health of teachers, faculty, the community, and the economy, show your support for going greenin the new high school by clicking on the link to below. Mt. Lebanon School District Renovation Blog
Elaine Cappucci (ecappucci@verizon.net), personal interview. Rob Papke, “Top 5 Reasons to Build an L.E.E.D. Certified High School,” Stream of Consciousness <http://blog.fen.net/feed/>. U.S. Green Building Council, LEED for New Construction & Major Renovations (USGBC, Oct. 2005) 1-3. Build Green Schools. 2007. U.S. Green Building Council. <http://www.buildgreenschools.org/gs101/index.html>. Pat Sullivan (psullivan@npsd.k12.wi.us), e-mail interview. Kenneth J. Cooper, “Study Says Natural Classroom Lighting Can Aid Achievement,” The Washington Post 26 Nov. 1999, <http://www.thewashingtonpost.com/>.
Go Green or Go Home:
An Environmentally Friendly High School for Mt. Lebanon and the Future
Index:
Mt. Lebanon High School is considered one of the most progressive schools in Pennsylvania, but its aging structure creates a costly, unsafe, and unhealthy experience for the school’s administration, faculty, and the two thousand students that consider it their second home. As the district readies itself for a high school renovation within the next five years, there is no board policy dedicated to green building design. While the school district has an opportunity to change this in preparation for rebuilding the high school, the glaring omission of a commitment toward green design creates a hole in district policy. While many of the classrooms lack natural light, and the school spends more than 1.2 million dollars on heating and air conditioning each year, the average green school saves 33% on energy costs. Moreover, Mt. Lebanon Council PTA Environmental Chair Rob Papke explained, “The American Lung Association has found that American school children miss more than 14 million school days a year because of asthma exacerbated by poor indoor air quality." As much of the nation becomes more environmentally friendly, this hole in building policy could leave a school that considers itself one of the most progressive years behind. What follows is a proposal to address that flaw, and to bring Mt. Lebanon forward towards a more energy efficient and environmentally conscious future.
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A sustainable school in the U.K.
- The Solution
- The Benefits
It creates a hands-on learning site for biology and environmental science classes, and studies show that the students in green high schools are healthier. Furthermore, Pat Sullivan, the principal at the only gold LEED certified high school in the United States, said, “The overall attitude for everyone has seen a noticeable improvement. Students and teachers are gone less.” A Washington Post study by the Heschong Mahone Group indicates that the extra natural daylight of green buildings can improve standardized test scores up to 25 percent. Furthermore, Environmental Chair Papke said, “A recent Carnegie Mellon review of five separate studies found an average reduction of 38.5% in asthma in buildings with improved air quality.”From the onset, aspects of green design that are compatible with the original construction—like large windows and low-flow toilets—would be included in the new building. Additional work, however, would be done in the years following the opening of the school as the school board would budget $50,000 each year for maintaining and improving the green school by adding features like solar panels to reduce energy costs. It may seem like a lofty goal, and some may even ask, "Is it worth the investment?" The answer is a resounding “yes” because a green high school has many benefits.
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Melissa Etheridge's Song "I need to Wake Up"
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Because green design could be great for the environment, the health of teachers, faculty, the community, and the economy, show your support for going green in the new high school by clicking on the link to below. Mt. Lebanon School District Renovation Blog
Elaine Cappucci (ecappucci@verizon.net), personal interview.
Rob Papke, “Top 5 Reasons to Build an L.E.E.D. Certified High School,” Stream of Consciousness <http://blog.fen.net/feed/>.
U.S. Green Building Council, LEED for New Construction & Major Renovations (USGBC, Oct. 2005) 1-3.
Build Green Schools. 2007. U.S. Green Building Council. <http://www.buildgreenschools.org/gs101/index.html>.
Pat Sullivan (psullivan@npsd.k12.wi.us), e-mail interview.
Kenneth J. Cooper, “Study Says Natural Classroom Lighting Can Aid Achievement,” The Washington Post 26 Nov. 1999, <http://www.thewashingtonpost.com/>.